Why Fathers Really Matter

posted 2012 Sep by Martha New

By
JUDITH SHULEVITZ Published: September 8, 2012

MOTHERHOOD begins as a tempestuously physical experience but quickly becomes a political one. Once a woman’s pregnancy
goes public, the storm moves outside. Don’t pile on the pounds! Your
child will be obese. Don’t eat too little, or your baby will be born too
small. For heaven’s sake, don’t drink alcohol. Oh, please: you can sip
some wine now and again. And no matter how many contradictory things the
experts say, don’t panic. Stress hormones wreak havoc on a baby’s
budding nervous system.

All this advice rains down on expectant mothers for the obvious reason
that mothers carry babies and create the environments in which they
grow. What if it turned out, though, that expectant fathers molded
babies, too, and not just by way of genes?

Biology is making it clearer by the day that a man’s health and
well-being have a measurable impact on his future children’s health and
happiness. This is not because a strong, resilient man has a greater
likelihood of being a fabulous dad — or not only for that reason — or
because he’s probably got good genes. Whether a man’s genes are good or
bad (and whatever “good” and “bad” mean in this context), his children’s
bodies and minds will reflect lifestyle choices he has made over the
years, even if he made those choices long before he ever imagined
himself strapping on a Baby Bjorn.